Guns banned at Broward hurricane shelters

Today the Florida House is expected to vote on a bill that would allow people with clean criminal backgrounds to conceal firearms without a permit during emergencies including hurricane evacuations.

When the House debated the bill Wednesday, some legislators including state Rep. Elaine Schwartz, D-Hollywood, and Rep. Kionne McGhee, D-Miami, asked if evacuees could then bring their guns into hurricane shelters. Bill sponsor Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers, said that would not be allowed.

We checked in with Miguel Ascarrunz, Broward’s interim emergency management director, about the rules for shelters -- which are all at public schools -- in Broward.

“According to the Broward School Board’s Safety Department, no weapons are allowed on school property, including schools designated as evacuation shelters,” Ascarrunz said in an email.

Depending on the strength of an expected hurricane, up to about 143,000 residents live in a mandatory evacuation zone in Broward.